True to his word the old monk led them east along the wailing forest, and for 8 hours or so the path seemed safe, but as time went on Han Bei felt wary of his surroundings. He constantly looked over his shoulder. Something just felt off to him. Similarly, the old monk had slowed down the pace considerably, and after a while, they stopped completely as a thick wall of mist blocked their way forward. In mere seconds it gathered and became so dense it was impossible to see through it.

Han Bei voiced his concerns, " That looks bad." The old monk waved his hand, still confident. " It's gonna be fine, we just have to backtrack for a bit. " The pair carefully turned around and retreated, but just after a few steps they stopped as another wall of mist blocked their path. Han Bei asked, " What ..." but he didn't get to finish his question as the old monk put a finger in front of his own mouth and signaled for silence. " Shhh."

The old monk pointed up and quickly climbed a nearby tree. Han Bei scowled for a bit and followed right after. The tree bark felt wet and sticky to the touch. His scowl deepened, as soon as he climbed to the top. there was a branch there with a shriveled face that constantly stared at him. He repositioned himself and stepped on the human-like face so that he wouldn't need to look at it. A silent whisper entered his mind, "Little corpse, don't move and conceal your presence as much as possible. "

Han Bei looked at the old monk and the latter was more than 3 meters away, too far away for the old thing's voice to travel naturally. " Sending, " he internally thought. " This confirms it. He is a power holder, probably a cultivator. " Sending was a communication technique mostly used by cultivators. Spirit sense was needed to use it, and pretty precise control of it actually. Most could use it upon reaching the 2nd realm.

As Han Bei made his deductions, externally he stopped all movement and his presence dimmed. All signs of life quickly disappeared from his body and he resembled a true corpse. Old monk allowed himself a single look of surprise before his presence disappeared as well.

As they both prepared, the mist underneath grew thicker and the surroundings turned colder. Similarly, Han Bei's blood also turned cold. Apparitions gradually appeared inside the mist. Ghosts one's similar in appearance to the young master from the Skeleton manor. Specters of warriors long gone silently marched through the black forest unified in their silence. Each one carried a broken weapon and a wound that told the story of their demise. Some marched with chests pierced by arrows, some had their ghostly throats cut open while others had chunks of their body missing altogether. All of them wore desolate, ancient pieces of armor ruined by the merciless touch of time while the white mist constantly spilled out from their injuries.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

First, there were few, then there were tens and soon there were hundreds or perhaps even thousands. Han Bei couldn't count them anymore as all his attention was concentrated on remaining undetected. He didn't dare to move or breathe or even think. Time crawled to a stop as the ghostly legion passed down below. He didn't know if it was 10 minutes an hour or a day but time finally returned to normal after the old monk poked him with a branch that resembled a very long human finger. " You can get down now, " the old monk briefly declared before he jumped down from the tree.

Han Bei stuttered for a bit as he shouted, " Yo-You said it was safe, did that look safe to you crazy old codger? " The old monk shrugged, " Eh, Yin soldier mist, it kinda does whatever it wants. " Still on his tree, Han Bei shouted, " That doesn't sound all that reliable. " The old monk's voice turned a bit annoyed. " I never promised you safety, I said that it should be relatively safe. If you have any complaint's I'm sure you can still catch up with those nice soldiers in the mist. Surely they will patiently listen to all your complaints. Either way, I'm going. "

As the old monk slowly walked away Han Bei inwardly thought, " Aren't you here to guide me to your stupid secret base? " But in the end he said nothing. " No use in complaining. " He gritted his teeth and released a turbid breath. After a few seconds, he jumped down from the tree and gave the gloomy forest another glance before he quickly wiped his hands against the grass and caught up with the old monk who gave him a wide grin. " Good man. "

" How is the path going forward? " Han Bei asked. The old monk thought for a moment before he answered, " It should be relatively safe. " Han Bei shook his head. " I hope next time it's at least something my fists can reach. " The old monk chuckled at that. " Oh, there will be plenty of that in the future."

The pair continued their path eastwards and fortunately or not they didn't face any danger that compared to the Yin soldier mist, although the old monk missed no chances to tease the young corpse until they arrived at their destination. And what a destination it was. A ravine that cut the earth itself apart 5 meters in width and untold kilometers in length. Han Bei peered over the edge and judged that the sheer drop should probably be at least a kilometer. Han Bei grimaced as a thin veil of mist covered the bottom of the ravine. " So is this the good place you were talking about? "

The old monk enthusiastically nodded. " This, my dear little corpse, is an earth scar left from an attack of peerless expert, although it's been so long that it already started to heal. Well, the interesting history aside, this place is a popular spot for fellows to end themselves, so a grudge or two should have formed a ghost down there at the bottom. With what happened at that cursed altar it should a good place for you to start cultivating. "

Han Bei readily agreed, " Okay, how do we get down? Are there any ladders or will some sort of beast get us down? " Right after Han Bei finished speaking the old monk used the finger-like branch and pushed him with just enough force that Corpse gracefully disappeared over the edge of the ravine. Han Bei's lungs filled with anger and fright as he shouted, " YOU BALD FUCKING DONKEY!!! "